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Life in South Africa can be likened to a roller-coaster ride. We go from despair to elation. Small things can make us really happy and excited and it takes a lot of big, bad things to get us down – that is why we are still here! We are a resilient lot. So, what are some of the good things about living in South Africa and what do we really value?

The government has confirmed that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s will stand down as African Union chairperson in July. She along with Cyril Ramaphosa and Baleka Mbete (and possibly Gwede Mantashe) have been mooted as the main candidates to take over from President Zuma when he moves on.

Race, as we all know, is a sensitive issue to deal with even in research terms – with some feeling it is a concept that should be relegated to the annals of the past, and others that it cannot be consigned to the dustbin as it is has huge relevance on a number of fronts, not least of which is the commercial space. An offshoot of this debate is that many feel there are several other variables that can be used in lieu of race as obviously the colour of skin is not the critical defining feature.

When Jacob Zuma replaced Thabo Mbeki as President of South Africa in 2009, 80% of South Africans had confidence in him. He had a confidence score of 258 overall and even among white South Africans Jacob Zuma had a score of 47. He appeared to be an asset to the ANC and it seemed, to the country.